There's Only One ThriBadge
by KikumiXD
Summary: I hate all the Pokemon series after the first, they completely get rid of the plot, so I made this. Before Ash competes in the Indigo Plateau, he has to get a badge, a thri-badge, only one is given out every year, so he has only one chance.


**Hey people, Kiku here. This was my first ever fanfiction that actually got typed. I wrote this over a year ago, so my writing style has differed. But even so, this is ten pages long, and I didn't dare retype it. So just remember, this isn't the best, but if I'm to publish this story, this needs to be here.**

**Orginally, I was going to plan comments, but when that destroyed the whole document, I decided that it would simply be better if I just used the comments at the end instead of interfering with the contents of the document itself.**

**This fanfiction will only go places if you want it to. So, if I don't get any enthusiasm, I'm not continuing, there's plenty of other things I could do.**

**And lastly, I am an American, and us Americans are to stupid to know the English language we so horribly slanged. Which also means this is dubbed!So bare with me. **

**Chapter 1, ready and BEGIN.**

**Chapter #1**

**Indigo Plateau**

It started out as what seemed a miracle. Ash, Misty, and Brock strolling along route 22 to get to what they had journeyed all this time to finally began. The battle at the Indigo Plateau. Here was where Ash would become a master. He skipped down the route in slow motion (or at least he tried to look to cool but it only made it worse) with his head held high and a smile showing how sure he was to win with Pikachu on his shoulder.

Misty and Brock weren't as excited, but were definitely glad to get Ash out of their hair. Either way, all of them wondered the same thing, was this really going to be the end? How could it? Misty especially looked upset because after the Indigo Plateau, she would have to go home to her sisters and return to Cerulean City.

Pikachu only sat staring around on the top of Ash's right shoulder. According to him, Brock was very expressionless. Pikachu waited for his face to give something, but it seemed that Brock was deep in thought. Ash continued to keep his head raised in the conceded way he would do when he had his hopes up. Pikachu couldn't help wondering what was really going on between the three.

_If only I could speak properly!_ he thought, _Then I could just simply ask. _He sat straighter with his ears stretched, trying to detect movement. He heard voices off in the distance. _Humans,_ he realized.

Pikachu pulled on Ash's hat. "Pika! Pika, pika, pi!"

"Is something wrong Pikachu?" Ash responded, signaling Misty and Brock to stop. Pikachu pointed to the path in front of them and repeated himself.

"I guess there's something up ahead." Ash turned to his friends shrugging.

"Perhaps it's Victory Road," Brock replied pulling out his map. "There's meant to be some small village hidden in the leaves of the trees." He looked up briefly to see if he was speaking the truth. "Yes, it should begin when we pass these bushes on the map!" Brock and Ash's expressions brightened while Misty just scuffled the ground with her sneaker angrily. She obviously didn't want to see any person right now.

"You sure, it's right over there?" she questioned, "because, um, I thought we..." she paused to think, "could picnic right here out in the sun 'cause I'm starving!" She smiled weakly trying to make it sound more convincing then she felt as she rubbed her stomach.

"Misty if you don't want to come to the Indigo Plateau you can head home now to Cerulean City." It was if Brock saw right through her because she froze exactly where she stood.

"Yeah, Misty it's not like we need you or anything. Brock and I can take care of ourselves." Ash spoke as if he didn't really care if _anyone_ was there with him. Not even Pikachu.

Pikachu liked Misty and knew she was the only sensible one out of their little group. Pikachu scratched Ash sharply across the face with what little he had for nails. "Hey!" Ash screamed, putting his hands to his face.

"I'm not planing to leave!" Misty said hotly. "I don't even want to go to Cerulean City! I can't deal with another sister academic!" Pikachu jumped down off of Ash's shoulder and rubbed up against Misty's leg for what lasted as short as a heartbeat.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu was getting very sick of these little tantrums.

"Pikachu is right, we need to keep moving if we're going to get there in time." Brock once again checked his map, as well as his watch. "We'd better get going, they might close down the sign ups before we even get there at the rate we're going."

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu nodded, although Misty was reluctant. They went farther down the pebbly road, Pikachu back on Ash's shoulder. No trees were near them. Pikachu couldn't help thinking if they were walking farther away from the village rather than towards it. Nobody spoke the whole way there. Pikachu found himself falling asleep.

When it had been two hours since they had last discovered they were near the village, they finally reached it. Pikachu suddenly realized how lucky he was to be able to sleep while traveling. He pricked his ears up and sleepily opened his baggy eyes.

They were in the village hidden in the leaves. Piakchu noticed Ash had clutched him hard to his chest. He felt his trainer slowly back away. Pikachu was dumbfounded. Then he looked over and saw Misty fighting with some kid who had yellow spiky hair and a hideous orange jumpsuit. Misty had the kid pinned up against a brick wall of a building with a fist still clenched. The kid didn't look to happy about it.

"Please! I wasn't trying to do anything wrong!"

"You're just lucky we are only passing through!" Her teeth were pulled back in a snarl.

Pikachu wasn't to pleased to be watching, but wanted to see what would happen next. Ash was as scared as the kid as he shivered in fright. Pikachu could feel his arms bump up and down. He quickly looked to his face and saw that his trainer's eyes were the size of cantaloupes, his ears twitching. Pikachu pitied him.

_Why did I have to become best friends with _him_! Maybe, it's just because I owe him... _Pikachu couldn't find why he even still traveled with the determined trainer. It was then that Pikachu eyes brought him back to a time long ago.

Pikachu was in Professor Oak's laboratory. The other trainers had already picked Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle instead of him as their first pokémon.

_This was the day I met Ash! _Pikachu recalled.

Pikachu had been red with anger on that day. _Why doesn't any one care about me? _He had thought infuriated.

It was then that a kid that was very clumsy came into a sprint, breathing rapidly, his chest had been heaving. Professor Oak and him had talked a while. _Must know the kid well. _Pikachu had decided.

Pikachu could have only guessed what the boy was like, because he had been in darkness. He had never liked being locked up. He had preferred freedom. That wasn't his choice then, though. He had been forced into that glass case on most days. Pikachu sighed.

He had closed his eyes to try and visualize the scene going on somewhere above. Then Pikachu had felt as if he was being pushed upward. He had jumped from side to side and looked up to the trainer.

_Ash... _Pikachu couldn't bear to keep thinking about the past. He shook his head, but the vision only became clearer. He remembered how Ash trained him so hard, and how stubborn he, Pikachu, had been. Pikachu felt a tear drop run down his red cheek.

Trying to shake his way out of the vision, he looked back at the fight. He went on Ash's hat to get a better view. Misty had already given the kid a black eye and a bloody nose. _Someone's cranky from traveling! _Pikachu kept his attention focused but the flashes only came back again.

He jumped off of Ash's currently flattened hat and scampered onward, trying to run away from the memories. Not looking back, he ran up route did he need those flashbacks to continue? He understood now, couldn't they just leave him alone? Pikachu fought against his recolection. _Go away! _he commanded.

At last the memories retreated. Satisfied, Pikachu lifted his head from its original downward position. His eyes gleaming with new delight as he saw something in the distance._ The Indigo Plateau! We're almost there! I'll be able to show every pokémon how much power a little pikachu can hold inside itself!_

With a new speed, Pikachu ran faster than he had in quite some time. Pikachu turned his head to see how everyone else was doing and if they noticed him leave. Apparently they did and were determined to catch him! Brock wasn't to far away, Misty was a long way off from Brock, and Ash was like a speck in the distance, still in the village. To afraid to stop, Pikachu kept sprinting.

The pebbly path scraped his paws, but still he ran. If he was put back in Ash's arms the memories would only haunt him once more. _I've moved on. I get why now, but I don't want the memories flowing back to me during battle, I just got rid of them! _The trees slowly disappeared and rolling hills of field lay ahead of him. Pikachu couldn't help thinking of how long he would be able to keep this speed up. The building seemed even farther away than when he was still in the forest. Drops of sweat rolled off his forehead and splashed against the ground, one after another, but Pikachu didn't stop.

After a while he came to a halt in front of a large building. _The Indigo Plateau!_ Pikachu breathed. He looked behind him, his breathing rapid. Yet another sweat drop ran down his petite nose. Brock had fallen behind, but seemed determined to scoop up Pikachu. Startled, he looked left and right searching for a good place to hide. To worried Brock would catch up, he dived into a bush.

_I can spy on them here!_ Pikachu thought peeking out of the leaves.

Brock obviously hadn't realized where Pikachu was running and looked up to the twenty-six story building of the Indigo Plateau, however the real plateau was behind the building. Brock froze, there seemed to be some haunting memory turning up on the gym leader's brain for he froze and his skin shaded to the color of iced blue.

Not long after, Misty came up and had trouble not running into the back of Brock. She straightened herself and stepped to the side. "Now Brock, why did you have to run like the earth was exploding just to get us here? Are you some sort of idiot that thinks we have no time left in the world? Speaking of idiots, where's Ash?"

As if on cue, Ash came sprinting as if there were no tomorrow, "Hey Misty wait u-" _BASH! _He crashed into Misty and knocked her over. Pikachu couldn't help laughing at how careless the trainer was. How couldn't he see her? It's only common sense to look where you're going.

"Ash Ketchum! You are going to wish you _never_ met me!" Misty threatened pointing her finger as if it was striking his eyes. "How did you become so careless to forget how to stop sprinting without banging into me?"

"All I did was trip," Ash said defensively shrugging, "or are you just angry because you're a girl and don't want to embarrass yourself in public? If that's the reason Misty, you better suck it-"

"I don't want to here zip from you, sicko!"

Pikachu had to hold himself back from laughing at what his trainer did not comprehend.

Finally understanding, Ash shoved Misty into a bush and straightened his jacket. Pikachu thought this was very funny at first, until he looked over and realized the bush she was shoved into was the same bush he was taking cover in!

_CRAP!_

Misty turned her head in Pikachu's direction and slightly smiled. Pikachu froze, he wasn't meant to be mixed up into this. _The whole reason I hid here was so you wouldn't find me!_

"Pikachu? Is that why Brock was running so fast?" Misty sat still in the bush looking upward as if she actually could see the sky through the thick leaves. "No need to hurry!" she called out to Brock.

She picked up Pikachu into her arms and straightened herself, brushing off the leaves as she stepped out of the thorns of the bush. She walked over with a slight glance of sarcasm towards Ash.

_Why is my trainer so dumb? Can't he see that isn't anyway to approach a gym leader like this?_

"Well? Are we going to sit here all night staring at a skyscraper, or are we going to sign up?" Misty was actually starting to sound a bit enthusiastic.

"Ya! Let's go! Come on Brock!"

The inside of the building was so large that you could hardly see the top. It also seemed to be a hotel, along with a pokémon center, a work out gym, training center, and a huge entrance to the plateau outside.

"Wow this place is huge!" The words echoed off the walls for what seemed like an everlasting moment. Although Pikachu wanted to be proper and mention there were much bigger buildings, he couldn't help thinking the same thing.

"Hello, may I help you?" A what looked like to be, 20 year old lady with curly brown hair, spoke very efficiently to them. Pikachu couldn't help noticing that there was a hint of boredom in her tone. _She must do this often. _Now that Pikachu noticed her blue dressy suit it said "Manager" which obviously meant she had been here for quite some time. _And she's 20? What a hard worker!_

"Yes, we are here to sign up for the Indigo Plateau," Brock answered with what seemed to be some class.

"More pokémon trainers? Ugh! I was actually hoping for some hotel guests." She sighed deeply to herself. "Very well," she brought back up her enthusiasm. "Right this way."

She led the group to an open room full of many different people. _Pokémon trainers. _Pikachu realized. The room had clear white marble walls with what seemed a very expensive chandelier in the center of a high ceiling. The floor had a long blue carpet with hundreds of trainers waiting in line for the sign ups.

"_Bah!_" Ash screeched, "I didn't expect _this_ many people!" Pikachu almost laughed, didn't his own trainer know he wasn't the _only_ trainer in the Kanto region?

Brock didn't pay any attention and just kept staring deeply into the manager's eyes. Pikachu was to far away to hear anything, but could tell Brock was trying to flirt with her. _What kind of pervert goes for a woman 4 years older? Well Brock, that's obvious. _She didn't seem to think very much of him because she, like all the others, slapped him across the face and walked away.

Brock stumbled over to the group rubbing his cheek where he had been slapped and tried to change the subject, "Looks like a long wait."

"It is, Ash you sure you want to sit through _all _of this? Just to go to the Indigo Plateau?"

"Of course I am! If by being a master I have to wait to sign up, I will wait. Have you ever know one time I was impatient?"

Pikachu couldn't help thinking of how dumb Ash was to _not know _he was impatient. Misty raised her eyebrow and Brock gave Ash a stern look. "Ash this no time for jokes!"

Ash went red, "I wasn't joking!"

"Alright we'll see about that after two hours." Misty put her arms behind her head in boredom with a small smirk.

"Two hours what do you mean tw-"

Misty pointed to a two hour wait sign beside them.

"Two hours!" Ash shrank along the side of the wall.

Pikachu laughed a bit. _At least he knows he can't wait that long, otherwise he would wear himself out trying to stay awake. _Pikachu snuggled up in Misty's arms. He was getting used to the way her arms were shaped from her holding him while Ash was being an idiot.

After about an hour and a half, Pikachu wearily opened his eyes. _At least we only have forty minutes left._ Pikachu realized Ash was hardly awake. Misty stood with a straight back as if not noticing she had stood for so long. Brock was trying to catch girls' attentions as usual. He was actually not doing so bad with a blond haired girl.

"I know! I can hardly wait to sign up! What kind of trainer are you?" The blond said flipping her long hair which went passed her flirty pink skirt. Pikachu couldn't help overhearing because he knew how the conversation would end.

"Actually I'm a rock gym leader. I'm from Pewter City."

"Rock? Isn't that a bit...um..."

"Well I have other pokémon too. Like, a vulpix and-"

"I'm sorry but training fire is much more of my thing. Sorry, but I can't deal with any _rock_ pokémon." She turned around and started talking to some of her friends.

_What a jerk! Doesn't she have any respect? _Pikachu couldn't even wonder why Brock looked disappointed instead of disgusted.

Misty began to shift uneasily. She had worry in her big blue eyes._ What's going on?_

Ash and Brock also seemed to noticed something. Brock just sort of nodded as if saying "Bring it on". Ash looked appaled. _What is so wrong?_

Then Pikachu noticed that he recognized a few of the trainers walking back from the sign up line, but he didn't know from where. Then Pikachu eyed many cheerleaders surrounding a single person. _Gary Oak! What was he doing here?_

Gary stopped where he was and looked over to Ash. "Well if it isn't Ash Ketchup. Waiting to lose?" His cheerleaders laughed at Ash.

Ash clenched his fists. "I'm here because I can't wait to see the look on your face when I beat you!"

"Well I hope you know what you're getting into, not every trainer even makes it to the real battles. Good luck, you'll need it." He snapped his fingers and his cheerleaders followed.

"Gary, Gary he's our man! If he can't do it no one can!"

"I guess I'm officially know as no one," Ash said smiling although it had an evil twist to it.

"Ash, aren't you even worried about what Gary meant by 'not make it to the battles'?" Brock looked serious. It made Pikachu crawl in his skin.

"Why should I be? If Gary made it than so can I!"

"Ash, maybe Brock's right. What will you do if you _can't _make it?"

"Would you two stop being such wusses? It's obvious that it isn't that hard to make it in! So stop your girliness!"

Misty looked like she was about to say something, but decided against it.

Pikachu didn't think of it that way Ash did at all. What if Gary hadn't even made it in? What if there were auditions, or second signups, or something? He jumped out of Misty's arms and tugged on Ash's pant leg.

"Pika! Pika Pikachu!"

"You to Pikachu? Have you been asleep in Misty's arms to long? That's it back up on my shoulder!" Roughly picking him up, Ash struggled with the hard kicking of Pikachu.

_You idiot!_

Minutes past and Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were up at the front of the line.

"Finally!" Ash shreiked.

"I'm surprised he was able to wait." Pikachu could just overhear the whispering of Misty into Brock's ear. Brock nodded.

"Hello, are you here to sign up for baking?" said a brown haired strong faced man.

"Wha-"

"Only joking young one. You are here to sign up for the Indigo Plateau, are you not?" The man shoved the paper forward and Pikachu slid off of Ash's shoulder and onto the table.

"Yes, he is." Misty stepped in front of Ash with a shove to the shoulder. "Please, we've traveled a long way and want to make this sign up as quick as possible."

"Why of course. Are you signing up as well or will it only be your boyfriend?"

Misty went pale except for her face which was tomato red with either embarrassment or anger. Pikachu couldn't tell which.

"Listen here mister!" Misty slammed her hands down hard on the table. "I'm only traveling with this lunatic because he owes me a new bike! Only some sort of idiot would fall for someone on a level that low of stupidness!"

"Hey!"

"Shut up Ash! This is my battle! I'll go right here right now! I've been traveling since six this morning and I've waited in line for two and a half hours! I don't want any one making me this angry on a day when I'm this tired!"

"Well I'm sorry, I only assumed-"

"You assumed wrong bucko 'cause-"

"I'm sorry about her. She's been trying to hold back her frustration all day. I'll fill out the form for my friend Ash here." Brock was very calm in the way he spoke considering he was covering the mouth of the angry Misty who was still shouting.

"Thanks, but I'll fill out my own paperwork." Ash pushed Misty and Brock aside and picked up the pen to begin writing.

Pikachu just sat on the table as he had been through out the whole thing. Except now, he wasn't ready to shed his own skin. Ash wrote quickly and calmly while Brock struggled with keeping Misty's mouth shut. Misty only flailed her arms in response.

Pikachu sighed at how "smoothly" everything was going. He perked his ears to listen a bit more of how it was running.

"Alright, just do these requirements and you'll be able to compete in the Indigo Plateau." _Requirements? I knew Gary meant something!_

"Well alright! What sort of requirements?"

"Oh nothing much! You need to have six healthy pokémon for battle-"

"Well that's easy! What else?"

"You have to have some money to stay in a hotel room here, we don't allow tents and-"

"I have to _pay. _Ugh! Ah well, I guess I could ask my mom for some money. Well if that's all I'll be-"

"And you have one week to get three Indigo badges from a few of the places on this list."

"Wait. What?"

"At most of the gyms there are different types of Indigo badges, such as fire, ice, water, rock, grass-"

"But, Ash already has those types of badges." Looking puzzled, Brock came up with Ash, one hand still planted firmly over the infuriated mouth of Misty.

"Yes, but these are _Indigo _badges. There is quite a difference actually. When you come back show us your badges. They look different than the regular types-"

"Wait a second!" Misty had finally broken out of Brock's hold and pushed herself between the two. "We waited for two hours for you to tell us he has one week for three badges?"

"And he has to make it back here in that time as well-"

"Listen buddy, if I had know about battles just to make it in, than I wouldn't have even come here to let Ash-"

"I'll be back in a week."

Misty and Brock looked at Ash with surprise written all over their faces. "What?" they asked in unison.

"You heard me, I'll do it. If it's the only way, than I will."

"Marvelous!" the man said very enthusiastically. "Here is your paper with all the information. Try to make it back in time!"

"I will, come on guys."

Pikachu was _dumbfounded._ Was Ash that desperate, or was he determined? Misty and Brock straightened themselves and only nodded. Pikachu looked a bit worried as he jumped on the left shoulder of Ash.

The four left the building with determination. Where they were headed, Pikachu had no idea. All he knew was that was Ash was definitely going to go through with this and Pikachu would be right beside him the whole way.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

Okay, soo...yeah the ending is kind of cheesey. And yes, I put some Naruto in there :3 even if it was very short. I felt the reference was needed :D

for the record, I rated this K+ because I'm not sure how strict these guys are, even though nothing really happened here, but you have to face facts. Even though I'm not QUITE sure with how teen this will get, the japanese version did have some sexual stuff in it, because, after all, that's what the world is, no? There's a perv everywhere you go.

Well, I'd really appreciate feedback, even if it isn't really my stuff any longer...but heck if the first chapter is no good, nobody will want me to contiue anyway, eh? Yeah...thought so

buh-bye

~KikumiXD


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